


Resolving Conflicts

by Popples123



Series: Pete/Mikey/Patrick AU [3]
Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Ace The Fish, Asexual Character, Blow Jobs, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, HE'S ON A BUSINESS TRIP, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, MIKEY IS SICK, Mild Smut, Multi, PETE IS SCREWED, Polyamory, Sickfic, ace patrick is back, over-dramatic pete has returned, petemikeypatrick, peterickey???, there's like 1 bj scene, this was longer than intended, when will he get his own character tag smh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 12:14:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11714187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Popples123/pseuds/Popples123
Summary: When Patrick goes on a business trip for four days and leaves his phone at home, Pete takes it upon himself to resolve his ongoing conflict with Patrick's betta fish. As usual, chaos ensues.





	Resolving Conflicts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DMIsMyLuv23](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DMIsMyLuv23/gifts).



> Fun fact when I finished typing this up half of the file immediately deleted and I had to retype it (yes I cried... hysterically)
> 
> Thank you to the very wonderful DMIsMyLuv23 for the idea for this fic! This is a sequel to The One Where Pete Is Jealous Over A Fish.

**This is a sequel to[The One Where Pete Is Jealous Over A Fish](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11070351) so I recommend reading that first if you want this to make sense !**

** Thursday **

It is well past eleven o'clock at night when Patrick calls a house meeting at the dining table, and the urgency in his voice has Mikey downstairs in mere seconds. Pete takes a considerably longer amount of time arriving, as he has recently become intrigued with learning the entire French language and can't seem to put his phone down. He's always on some sort of translation app.

Patrick is sat at the table, Mikey stands and leans against the door that leads out to their yard, and Pete decides that the worktop is a suitable place to sit. He and Mikey both watch Patrick expectantly.

"As you all know," the youngest of the three begins, "I go on my business trip tomorrow-"

Mikey nods knowingly, but Pete cuts Patrick off with a very alarmed "since when was this happening?!"

"Since three days ago," Mikey says. "Perhaps if your face wasn't always in your phone..."

"You sound like my mother," Pete laughs and his sarcasm causes Mikey to crack a very wide (and very unintentional - he hates giving Pete the satisfaction of knowing he's amusing) smile.

Patrick smiles too, and then immediately returns to the previous conversation that was taking place before Pete interrupted. "I'm only going to be gone from Friday morning, which is tomorrow, until Monday evening, so it's not _too_ long. But, uh, the reasons I called this meeting. One, I need you guys to take care off my fish." Pete rolls his eyes at the mention of the animal that resulted in a week long feud between him and Patrick last month. "And two, I need one of you to pick up the new Harry Potter book for me at the mall on Sunday night, it's the Half-Blood Prince one. Preferably _not_ Pete, 'cause last time I sent you to buy me a book you came back with four sweaters and a notebook."

"Don't worry, love," Mikey says. "We're all good. We'll make sure you get your delivery and that Ace survives-."

" _You'll_ make sure Ace survives. That fish is still one of my greatest enemies, second only to Peter Pettigrew," Pete says.

"My fish isn't that bad!" Patrick feigns offence and he stands up so he can playfully nudge Pete before making his way upstairs to get ready for bed. It seems the house meeting is over and Mikey is infinitely glad for that, as he can feel a painful headache coming on. Hopefully it's cause is simply lack of sleep.

It's well over thirty minutes before they're all in bed because while Patrick is very quick in going to bed, Pete decides he wants to shower and he gives Mikey a _look_ , which of course means he ends up joining Pete, and thus Patrick is stuck having to blast Joy Division with headphones on because, well, reasons.

When they return, Pete's lips are swollen and there's something that probably is meant to be a hickey but looks more like an actual bite mark on Mikey's neck, and it only takes one disgusted look from Patrick for Pete to laugh and jump onto the right side of the bed, so violently that the force of his landing causes Patrick to momentarily lose his balance on the mattress. Unlike his black-haired boyfriend, Mikey gracefully slides under the duvet on the left side and lies down on his side, gazing up at the ceiling with tired eyes. Patrick examines the mark on Mikey's throat and tries to ignore the way he bites his lip and closes his eyes when Patrick gently brushes his fingers across it.

Just then, Pete unplugs the headphones from Patrick's phone and tries to kiss him, only to be pushed back.

"I don't know where your - actually, I _do_ know where your mouth's been. So no." Patrick's laughing and Mikey lets out a shaky breath through his nose that he always does when he's too tired to laugh at something. His headache is growing more intense and he closes his eyes, resting his hand on Patrick's thigh in the hopes that having something to keep him grounded will stop the dizziness.

"Meanie." Pete pouts and latches his lips onto Patrick's neck instead. He knows well enough how fond Patrick is of neck kisses, so long as the marks aren't as noticeable as the one on Mikey's neck. He hums softly and pulls Pete back by his hair.

"Stop before you get too riled up. Mikey's exhausted, I won't let you do anything to him."

"For the youngest, you sure are the bossiest," Pete jokes and gently kisses Patrick's wrist before lying down. Patrick lies down too and reaches over Mikey's body to switch off the bedside lamp, seeing as Mikey appears to be too tired to do it himself.

Patrick isn't too concerned when Mikey slips into unconsciousness far too easily, with heavy erratic breathing. He just assumes Pete overworked him in the shower or something like that.

After softly kissing Mikey's forehead, Patrick rolls over and cuddles against Pete, who hugs him tightly and uses one hand to play with his hair. It isn't long until Patrick falls asleep, and he isn't sure if Pete wins his daily battle against insomnia or not.

~

** Friday **

It's 1PM before Pete wakes up, having been awake until 5AM last night. There's no sign of Patrick, obviously, as he is on his business trip, but there is also no sign of Mikey either. Pete hopes he's made breakfast, and he decides to go to the bathroom before heading downstairs, where he assumes Mikey is.

His suspicions are wrong, he soon finds out, because when he opens the door he discovers Mikey curled up between the bathtub and the sink, breathing so heavily that Pete thinks he's actually full on gasping for air.

"Mikey?" He calls out, distressed at the thought of not having Patrick, who seems to know how to resolve everything, here to help. "Mikey, what's happening?!"

He kneels down and rests a hand against Mikey's forehead and then his cheeks. It seems his entire body is covered in a think layer of sweat, and the redness of his bloodshot eyes tells Pete that he's been crying for an awfully long time.

"Everything hurts," Mikey whines and lets his head fall against Pete's left shoulder. "Dunno how to stop it.

"Have you thrown up?" Pete asks and Mikey nods, shakily holding up four fingers to symbolise the number of times. "Why didn't you shout for me?"

"I did." Mikey's voice is breathless and he sounds incredibly weak. "You're a very heavy sleeper after you manage to fall asleep."

"Oh, God, I'm sorry." Pete kisses his forehead. "How long have you been in here for?"

"Since, like, quarter to twelve, I think."

"Holy shit, it's after one now!" Pete shouts and Mikey winces at the noise. "Come on, I'll carry you downstairs and I'll call Patrick-"

"You can't." Mikey's voice cracks and he lets out a low groan in pain.

"Why not?"

"He forgot his phone. It's still on the nightstand."

Slowly, Pete guides Mikey so he's kneeling and not wedged between the sink and the bathtub anymore, though most of his body weight is still supported by Pete. "So we're on our own?" He asks nervously, dreading the response he knows he's about to receive. He can't even take care of himself on most days, let alone his sick boyfriend.

Just as he expected, Mikey nods slowly, and then he's surging forward to throw up and if it weren't for Pete holding him around his waist, he would probably break his jaw hitting it off the toilet.

"You're okay, baby boy," Pete whispers and rubs soothing circles into Mikey's back with one hand while using his other arm to keep Mikey securely supported. His next statement is far less comforting, as he simply rests his face against the back of Mikey's neck and whispers, "Fuck, we're so screwed."

As soon as Mikey is downstairs and on the sofa under an abundance of blankets, he's out cold and Pete finds himself frantically rummaging around the medicine cabinet, wondering what pills will aid Mikey in recovering from all this. He's at a total loss, because Patrick had an old roommate years ago who's elder sister was a nurse, and therefore Patrick is, for the most part, more educated on health than what Pete and Mikey are combined, so if anyone in the house falls ill it's usually Patrick who calls the shots on how to help, even if he's the one who's sick. Without him here, Pete and Mikey are pretty much clueless.

Most of the afternoon and early evening is spent with Pete sitting on the sofa next to Mikey, watching him with a look of concern only mothers of young children should be able to master. Apart from the three times Mikey wakes up to be sick (and the one time he randomly comes to for about five minutes before passing back out without so much as looking at Pete), he remains unconscious and rarely responds to Pete's attempts to talk to him. His replies are either soft whimpers, breathless one-word answers, or total silence. Pete isn't sure which one hurts to witness the most.

It's almost 9PM before Mikey is able to eat something and keep it down for longer than twenty minutes, which is a new record. They reach the half hour mark and Pete comments on it, and just as luck would have it, Mikey doesn't even get a chance to respond because he's throwing up into the bucket and then accusing Pete of jinxing it. After both that and the events of earlier today, Mikey's entire body is sore and weak with exhaustion, and he reaches out towards Pete and points to the ceiling to indicate that he wants to go to bed,

Just like this afternoon, Pete carries Mikey bridal style up the stairs and helps him get into bed, still clad in the same pyjamas from last night. He brings Mikey's toothbrush in so Mikey can brush his teeth, and then they lie together in silence, with Pete's lips pressing tender kisses to Mikey's neck and his shoulder.

"Did you feed Ace?" Mikey's voice is laced with sleep and Pete wants to flykick this stupid fish into the sun because he longs to listen to Mikey speak like this for as long as possible, but by the time he returns from the fish tank, Mikey will most definitely be sound asleep, and that means no angelic soft voice for Pete to pay attention to.

"I haven't," Pete says and rises reluctantly out of the warmth both Mikey's arms and the duvet provide him with. 

It was decided a little over two weeks ago that Ace was to be kept in the spare room, seeing as Patrick spends most of his time in there either using the computer or practicing music on rare occasions. Plus, it means they didn't need to clear all the clutter off the bedroom drawers to keep the fish tank there, when there was a perfectly free amount of space on the desk in the spare room next door to the bedroom.

The dark hallway sends chills down Pete's spine and he's relieved when he reaches the room and is able to switch the light on. His eyes settle on the animal that caused all the chaos from a month ago between him and Patrick, and he scowls at it as he reaches for the tub of food. When the flakes are sprinkled into the water, the fish swims back and forth as it eats, and Pete can't help but smile. It is rather amusing to watch.

"You're an idiot," he says with far too much affection in his voice than what a statement directed towards a fish should hold. He watches the little blue blob swim in endless circles, and he gets a fantastic idea. "You need a bigger tank-."

From the next room, Mikey's distant voice shouts, "Are you talking to the fish? Come back to bed, Pete!"

Denying Mikey's true accusation, Pete closes the tank lid and turns the room light off before returning back to bed. Mikey is bundled up in most of the duvet and on any other night Pete would borderline wrestle him for the cover, but seeing as Mikey's day has been hectic, Pete sympathetically allows his greed to slip just this once.

There is no time to speak, because the second Mikey's arms wrap around Pete's tiny body, his eyes flutter shut and Pete doesn't have the heart to disrupt his peace with meaningless rants.

"Goodnight, love." He kisses Mikey's lips ever so softly, and then closes his own eyes. Allowing his mind to wander, Pete's thoughts eventually steer towards Ace and how he could do with more swimming space.

~

** Saturday **

Despite appearing better last night, Mikey is much more ill this morning, but he manages to shake Pete awake in just enough time for him to guide Mikey into the bathroom so he can throw up. He falls semi-unconscious almost immediately afterwards and the bags under his eyes are enough for Pete to know he hasn't slept too well.

He lies Mikey back down on the mattress and pulls the duvet up to just below his neck. If it were any other day, Pete would lie with him and shower him in love and kiss his neck to distract him from the pain.

But today, Pete is on a mission.

Taking extra care to be silent so he can ensure that Mikey doesn't wake up, Pete silently gets dressed and grabs his wallet and phone off the nightstand. He goes to leave until he realises how panicked Mikey would be upon noticing his absence, so he walks back to the bed and hesitantly shakes his boyfriend awake.

"What?" Mikey's voice is hoarse and Pete immediately regrets this. He probably would have slept for the entire time Pete is away. There was no point in wakening him.

"I'm going out," Pete says quietly and holds Mikey's hand, kind of wishing he could stay here. But he feels compelled to do this. "Just buying some stuff for the fish, and I'll get you some soup as well."

"Don't buy stupid things."

"I won't," Pete promises and kisses Mikey's cheek, smiling when Mikey sighs contently and closes his eyes. "Bucket is beside the bed, you've got two water bottles on the nightstand and there's some painkillers that I think might work. Take three of them when you next wake up."

Mikey nods and doesn't open his eyes, so Pete figures that now is a good time to leave.

He locks up the house and then starts his car. It feels weird to be the only person in it - he's used to having at least one of his boys with him, because he gets the train to work and is therefore never alone in the car.

Using the radio to drown out the silence, Pete reverses out of the driveway and onto the road. The sky is a dull grey and a light drizzle of rain starts to fall just as he pulls onto the highway, and the weather makes it even more difficult to navigate his way through the city. He's bad enough with directions as it is.

It takes him half an hour to find the nearest pet store and he's able to find a parking space that's relatively close to the building, so he isn't all that bothered about the now very heavy rainfall.

He emerges from the store almost exactly one hour later and one of the store staff members have to help him carry the large box. He is beginning to regret his purchase, because how on earth is he going to get it out of the car and up the stairs once he arrives home if he can't even carry it across a parking lot without assistance?

The drive home is quick seeing as he now knows the route and less than twenty minutes later, he's parked in the driveway, contemplating on how to get the new significantly larger fish tank into the spare room.

Choosing to leave it in the car, Pete goes into the house and curses loudly when he realises he forgot to buy Mikey soup. Just then, Mikey appears and doesn't even ask why Pete is swearing, just hugs him tightly and murmurs something about missing him and being glad he's home.

"I forgot your soup. I'm sorry."

Pushing back, Mikey shoots Pete a confused glance. "Where the hell did you go then?"

"A pet store," Pete says.

"What did you buy?"

As soon as Pete says, "A fish tank," Mikey stands up straight and frowns at him.

"I said don't buy anything stupid! Where is it?"

"In the car..." Pete trails off and looks Mikey up and down. He's standing, so that's something, right? Perhaps he can... "Are you strong enough to help me get it out the car?"

Mikey whines in protest but it would probably be better to get all of this over with right now so that Pete doesn't embarrass himself by either A) asking a neighbour to help or B) trying to do it himself and smashing it after inevitably dropping it, so he hesitantly says yes.

The sudden gust of fresh air when Mikey steps outside makes him want to spend the rest of the evening out here, as he feels less dizzy already, but it's still raining and the dark clouds on the horizon are enough for him to know without the aid of a weatherman that it's going to be storming terribly later on, so he stays quiet and follows Pete to the car.

It's a difficult task to lift the box, as Mikey hasn't got all his strength and Pete isn't all that strong to begin with. By the time they reach the house, Mikey gives up and sets the box down the minute they're in the kitchen and he goes upstairs, telling Pete that he needs water. Pete waits patiently for his return.

"Are we putting Ace in it just now or are we waiting for Patrick to come home?" Mikey asks once he returns. His eye bags are slightly darker, Pete notices.

"I think we should do it now," Pete says. "It can be like a little present for Patrick."

"Okay..." Mikey nods hesitantly. "How do we do it?"

"I don't know," Pete answers honestly. "I suppose we can just Google it or Wikihow it or whatever suits."

It's a very unprofessional idea, Mikey thinks, but they don't have much choice, so they set to work. Through the use of several articles off the internet (because Pete is adamant that instructions are unnecessary, as if the internet is more trustworthy), the couple have the tank put together with water inside it in a matter of hours.

The next task is a lot harder and Pete accepts the responsibility that comes with, wanting to continue to prove that he can do things right.

Upstairs, he manages to scoop Ace into a small plastic bag, and when he reaches the living room he attempts to release the fish right into the new tank, but Mikey stops him at the last second.

"It says here-" he shows Pete his phone screen "-that you have to keep the fish in the bag and sit it in the tank for a while so it can adjust to the water."

"It's just water, though."

"Yeah, but, like, the temperature and all that," Mikey explains.

"Oh," Pete deadpans and then does as the website tells him to. Feeling like he's accomplished a lot today, Pete sits down on the floor next to Mikey. "Do you think he's bored?"

"It's a fish, love. I doubt it even has the ability to feel bored."

"Yes, but he has countless decorations in his old tank..." Pete trails off and glances at Mikey.

With a heavy sigh, Mikey says, "Okay, fine. Go get the decorations and put them in here."

Pete does exactly that and arranges everything the way he wants it all to look, and gets a little too exited when Ace swims in circles with what he thinks is happiness. Mikey doesn't have the heart to say that the only reason the fish moved is because Pete accidentally nudged the bag with his arm.

Satisfied, Pete sits back with a wide smile on his face, and Mikey wonders how his life led to him dating two men that care far too deeply for a betta fish than what is healthy.

There's silence for a long while and Mikey continues to scroll through the website on his phone. The atmosphere is so peaceful that Pete almost screams when Mikey jumps up and hits his leg.

"Get him out of there - we're gonna kill him."

"What?" Pete doesn't understand but the urgency in Mikey's voice causes him to reach for the plastic bag anyways.

"Apparently you have to cycle the tank... it's like, a two week process, it's got something to do with, uh, ' _cycling to rid the water of toxic ammonia and nitrates_ ' - Pete, take him _out_ \- oh my God, we're fucking idiots."

"But I asked the guy working at the store if the tank was suitable for a betta fish and he said yes!"

Seeing as Pete still hasn't removed Ace from the new tank, Mikey reaches forward and does it himself. "The man was probably talking about the tank size, darling."

"Is Ace going to die?" Pete's voice cracks and Mikey says no, although truthfully he's uncertain. He just wants to give Pete peace of mind.

They come to an agreement that they shouldn't put the decorations back into the original fish tank because they've been in contact with the apparently toxic water. Instead, they tip Ace back into his original home and hope all the stress won't kill him. Patrick would be heartbroken and that would make Mikey heartbroken. He also thinks Pete would be torn up over the fish's death, too.

Dinner doesn't happen tonight, partly because Mikey feels too ill to eat and partly because Pete is too concerned with checking on Ace every ten minutes to bother cooking. Even after Mikey has crashed out in his bed, Pete remains in the spare room and watches the fish like a hawk as he dozes off, slumped over the desk.

When he comes to in the middle of the night, heart racing on why it is suddenly dark until the realisation that he was asleep dawns on him, he can't help but smile when he spots his boyfriend curled up on the armchair near the desk, with his hand loosely gripping onto Pete's own.

He considers wakening Mikey and moving him back to bed but sleep most likely won't come easy for him if he is disturbed, so the more sensible part of Pete decides that keeping Mikey here is the best option.

Shifting from the desk chair onto the floor (which isn't any more comfortable than the chair, but at least this means he can stretch his legs), Pete uses his hoodie as a pillow and curls up tightly to conserve body heat, and he continues to hold Mikey's hand. The discomfort is a small price to pay if it means sleeping next to Mikey (and also making sure Ace stays alive, but the day Pete admits to caring for that fish is the day hell freezes over).

~

** Sunday **

The horrendous back pains Pete experiences on the Sunday morning are the least of his worries because this is the day he's been tasked with finding and purchasing the novel that Patrick wants. Plus, Mikey will be famished when he wakes, as he hasn't eaten for at least twenty hours. He desperately needs breakfast and Pete is determined to have it ready before he wakes.

French toast sticks are Pete's go-to because it means he can have some, too. He tries not to rush the cooking process, but he does finish a lot faster than usual.

Steadily, he carries the two plates of food upstairs and sets them down on the desk in the spare room. Ace is still alive, which is a major relief.

Pete crouches down and gently shakes Mikey, who is awkwardly lying on his left side with his face smushed into the back of the armchair. "Mikey?"

"No." Judging by the pain Pete can sense behind that groan, Mikey is still sick.

"Yes. You'll feel better if you eat," Pete says softly and nudges his boyfriend to stop him from going back to sleep. "Even if you only eat a little."

It doesn't take long for him to coax Mikey into rolling over and sitting up, and once Mikey sets his eyes on the French toast sticks, he seems to forget all about the risk of throwing up if he eats too much, because he devours over half of his before Pete's even eaten a quarter of his own.

There's a faint red hue to Mikey's cheeks now and Pete feels a lot calmer at the sight of Mikey regaining colour in his face. He's been so pale since Friday that it was concerning. You'd think his skin had never seen the sun before.

"Feeling better?" Pete asks and smiles widely when Mikey nods somewhat enthusiastically. Once finished with his own breakfast, Mikey steals some of Pete's. Pete doesn't complain - he's too busy being glad that Mikey's appetite is back.

They spend the day watching a couple of random movies in the living room and Mikey naps against Pete for the better part of the afternoon. Lucky for him, Pete is content with simply sitting there, completely still and silent, watching him. He is so beautiful when he sleeps, Pete thinks.

Unfortunately, the peaceful silence must be broken when 6PM rolls around and it once again crosses Pete's mind that the book Patrick wants goes on sale soon. Not wanting to go to the mall alone, Pete wakens Mikey for the second time today.

"Mikey, baby, you up for coming to the mall with me? It's only to buy a book... you can wait in the car if you still feel ill..."

Despite groaning at the suggestion and protesting at first, Mikey eventually agrees to accompany Pete, and he doesn't bother changing out of his sweatpants and plain grey t-shirt, he just puts a black baggy jumper over himself and waits quietly on the sofa for Pete. As expected, said man takes a good fifteen minutes to get dressed, although he's only wearing his usual attire of black skinny jeans and a nice shirt.

"Why are you wearing eyeliner when we're only going to the mall?" Mikey asks once he's done looking Pete up and down.

"Because I dress to impress, Mikeyway." Pete winks and smiles when the gesture makes Mikey laugh. "Come on, I want to get there for 9PM at the latest."

The car journey is very tranquil and relaxing. Pete drives, of course, with the AC on low and an album Mikey has never heard before gently thrumming through the radio speakers. Mikey is in the passenger seat with a bucket at his feet just in case he's sick again, and he spends the whole journey leaning back with his eyes half closed as he stares out of the window.

Although they arrive twenty minutes earlier than what they hoped, there is still a lengthy queue outside the bookstore. Pete tries to convince Mikey to return to the car so he doesn't get dizzy but Mikey isn't keen on spending hours locked inside an unmoving vehicle and begs for Pete to let him go into the mall with him. Pete complies without putting up much of a fuss. He can never seem to say no to Mikey outside of the bedroom.

It's a very boring next two hours, to say the least, and by the time the queue starts moving, Pete isn't sure if this is even worth it. Why can't Patrick wait until a later date to get this book? Why does he want it the very night it goes on sale?

He voices these questions to Mikey, who shrugs and replies with a casual, "It will make him happy."

That is a surprisingly strong argument in Pete's opinion, and so he does his best to stop complaining about the agonizingly slow wait. He can't even hold Mikey's hand, because there is a strange old man watching them and Mikey doesn't want to draw any more attention to himself.

It's well after midnight by the time the couple finally have the book in their possession and Mikey demands they go straight home, as he's feeling exhausted. Pete feels the same way and wastes no time getting back to the car. He goes over the speed limit multiple times on the drive home, because he wants to arrive there before Mikey falls asleep.

Thankfully, Mikey is still awake when Pete pulls up at their home, and the pair of them once again don't bother with making dinner or cleaning, because they're too sleepy for that and Mikey wants to shower. It's funny how their priorities completely shift when Patrick isn't here to keep them right.

Just like on Thursday evening, Pete is on his knees for Mikey whilst Mikey washes his hair for him. Normally Pete tries to portray himself as the dominant one, but this is secretly one of if not his most favourite things to do with Mikey. He doesn't even complain when Mikey takes full control. It was established quite some time ago that he's allowed to take charge when they're in here.

Once Mikey comes down Pete's throat, Pete stands up and kisses Mikey while he touches Pete to get him off. Fresh hickeys are visible all over Mikey's neck and even on his chest, though none of them are as noticeable as the one Mikey received on Thursday. Pete wants to be gentle tonight.

After they're cleaned off and dried, Mikey goes straight to bed while Pete feeds Ace. He makes a mental note to purchase new tank decorations tomorrow, as he still doesn't feel confident about putting the old ones back in the tank, seeing as they've been in contact with toxic water.

Cuddling with Mikey is rare because Patrick is always in the middle at night and unless Mikey is sad or sick, he is rarely clingy during the day, so it's understandable why Pete treasures tonight. He's pressed against Mikey with his face buried in Mikey's neck, and he can feel Mikey playing with his freshly washed black hair. It's a very pleasant feeling.

He still misses Patrick, though, and he can't help it when he begins to tear up. This is the longest in years he's ever went without speaking to Patrick, and it's weighing down on him tonight.

"I miss him, Mikey." Pete's voice wavers and he can feel Mikey squeezing him tightly.

"I know, sweetheart. I miss him too."

"I love you." This time Pete whispers, and he feels a lot more content when Mikey repeats those three words in the same tone of voice.

~

** Monday **

Somehow, Pete won the battle against insomnia last night and wakes up at 10AM, the earliest he's woken up in days. As expected, Mikey is still asleep, but it doesn't bother Pete. He has things to do, things that don't have to involve his boyfriend.

After putting on similar clothes as what he wore yesterday and opening the curtains to let some light into the room, Pete kisses Mikey's cheek softly and then heads downstairs, car keys in hand.

He commutes to the same pet store as last time but spends much less money. He purchases a couple of plants for the fish tank, a cute blue dolphin ornament, and a smooth rock that won't tear Ace's fins. When he walks out the store he feels rather proud of himself for being able to get everything, and he is very optimistic about the rest of the day.

Upon returning home, he discovers that Mikey is feeling infinitely better and walks into the living room to find him sitting on the sofa with a bowl of cornflakes as he channel surfs. The sight makes Pete's heart swell and he joins his boyfriend eagerly, stealing some of his cereal and demanding that he stop switching channels every thirty seconds. They manage to settle on a rather interesting crime documentary, and the bag of fish tank decorations on the kitchen counter goes untouched.

Around 5PM, the lock on the door rattles and Pete has never moved so fast in his life. The _second_ Patrick steps through the door, he's engulfed in a warm hug and a sea of kisses by Pete. Mikey soon joins the pair, and he is the first one to notice the tears on Patrick's face.

"I missed you guys so much," he manages to get out between shaky breaths. "I'm so sorry, I - my phone, I forgot to-"

"It's alright, love." From the clarity in Mikey's voice, it would be impossible for Patrick to tell that he was extremely sick. Pete is impressed and also very thankful, for causing Patrick even more worry is the last thing he wants to happen.

He and Mikey fuss over Patrick for a little longer and then Mikey goes to sit in the living room with him, while Pete takes Patrick's suitcase upstairs for him. He offers to do it because he learned that Patrick is exhausted and that he's also really miserable because he didn't get his promotion.

Downstairs, Patrick quickly takes notice of the new fish tank with Ace's decorations, and upon realising his beloved pet is absent from said tank, Patrick jumps to his feet in a panic. "Where's Ace?"

"Upstairs," Mikey says calmly, reaching for a book that's on the coffee table. "Alive and well. Pete bought him a new tank and didn't know about the cycling process. Luckily I stopped him before he released Ace into it."

"Why did he buy the tank in the first place? Ace's current tank is fine... the new one is borderline an aquarium! And why are his tank ornaments still in it?"

Mikey explains carefully that it was an impulsive purchase on Pete's behalf and also gives Patrick the story about Pete wanting the decorations in the new tank to keep Ace amused, and that they're still there because neither he nor Pete are sure if it's safe to put them back into the old tank. It turns out Patrick isn't sure either and, after kissing Mikey, he goes to find Pete, only to stop in the hallway when he spots Pete coming downstairs.

"Care to explain why you're splashing out on the same fish you supposedly want dead?"

"I've matured," Pete states proudly and Patrick bites his tongue to refrain from laughing. "I wanted to mend our broken bond."

"And you do so by nearly killing him?"

"You think I did that on purpose?" Pete sounds hurt.

Patrick shows no sympathy and his next statement hurts worse. "I wouldn't put it past you, honestly."

Saddened by the false accusations, Pete speed walks into the kitchen and grabs the bag of new ornaments before returning to the hallway. Patrick isn't there and he turns to ask Mikey where the hell he went, but he then sees Patrick on the sofa next to Mikey, who is too absorbed in his book to notice.

"If I wanted Ace dead," Pete begins loudly and thrusts the plastic bag into Patrick's hands. Mikey glances up, confused at Pete's choice of words, and Pete continues, "then why would I buy these for him?

Patrick peers into the bag and smiles widely, his eyes lighting up as he looks at Pete. "Dude!"

"Is this how you two are going to resolve your petty little dramas now?" Mikey frowns and sighs when his question goes unanswered as Patrick is too busy thanking Pete in between kisses. Shaking his head with amusement, Mikey turns his attention back to his novel. How did he end up dating two perfect _idiots_?

Patrick enlists in both of their help to place the ornaments in Ace's current tank, and he's very pleased with the end result. Ace seems to be happy too, according to Patrick.

"It'll be a nice change for him," he says.

Ace swims up to the glass just then, and Pete leans down and coos in a voice that should be reserved for babies, puppies and kittens (and _only_ babies, puppies and kittens), "Hello cutie!"

"Oh for fucks sake." Mikey turns and is about to walk out of the room when Pete grabs him by the wrist and shoves him against the wall, taking care in not smashing any picture frames.

It's hard for Pete to ignore how Mikey suddenly falls into a submissive persona for a few seconds. "Don't walk away," he jokes and gently pushes Mikey's shoulder. "That's rude."

Mikey straightens up almost as quickly as he submitted, but his head is still hung low. "Let me go."

Pressing Mikey harder against the wall so that he hisses in pain, Pete shakes his head and goes to say something, but Patrick unintentionally cuts him off.

"Hey, Mikey?"

"Yeah?" Mikey chokes out and is still avoiding eye contact with Pete. He's not sure why, but being held down like this is turning him on.

"Thanks for taking care of everything while I was gone and for making sure Pete didn't do anything stupid."

Mikey laughs at how Patrick automatically assumes he took care of everything when in reality he spent the better part of the last four days too sick to even get out of bed, and poor Pete was the one running around making sure everything was intact. "You're welcome, 'Rick."

Pete scoffs and releases Mikey from his tight grip. Mikey is secretly disappointed, so when Pete opens his mouth to correct Patrick, he leans down and whispers, thankful that Patrick's back is turned to them, "If you keep quiet and let me have this, I'll let us do your fantasy location number eight."

Pete practically chokes on his own saliva as he searches Mikey's face for any hint of a lie. Upon finding none, he grins and all but runs out of the room to "find something to wear."

Patrick doesn't understand why his two boyfriends are suddenly adamant about going to the cinema tonight.

**Author's Note:**

> y'all i officially stan this series more than anything in my life I am SHAMELESS
> 
> Feedback would be greatly appreciated as always <3  
> (And apologies if there are typos. I typed half of this up while I was a bit drunk and the other half at 4am when I was so tired I could barely see).


End file.
